South African cuisine is a reflection of the immigrants who make up the population.  It is a melting pot of Afrikaner, Cape Malay, British, Indian, Jewish, Greek, Italian, Asian, Portuguese  and more recently, immigrants from across Africa. Each wave of immigrants, in their own particular way contributed towards the makeup of the mod and South African table.  It is the young yet vibrant culinary culture that started in the mid sixteen hundreds with the colonization of the Cape by the Dutch, who introduced the savoury spices of the east and the exotic fruits and vegetables from the Americas to the African continent.

In her book, South Africa Eats leading South African foodie and bestselling author Phillippa Cheifitz provides a tempting sampler of the rich variety of our culinary tradition. She has asked 13 of SA’s leading foodies, from Dorah Sitole to Mariana Esterhuizen, about their family history, roots and influences – and, most importantly, for a few of their favourite recipes – Chraime (see our recipe of the week), chicken pie, fish curry, Denningvleis, and Phutu, to name just a few.

The second half of the book expands on these flavours with a great selection of additional recipes.

The book reflects memories of our diverse cultural heritage and the many people that have formed South Africa’s culinary home. It is a great reference point, complemented by some stunning food photography.  A great gift, portraying SA’s rich and diverse cultural  heritage.

Interested in buying this book? Visit –

Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R282 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R345)!  Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, a total saving of R63.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.